This reunion fic is part of the Bellamione Coven's Helen McCroy Memorial Event.
The prompts used are the following:
3. "I don't dance anymore." - Peaky Blinders S04 E03 Blackbird
19. "We live somewhere between life and death. Waiting to move on. And in the end we accept it. We shake hands with the devils and we walk past them." - Peaky Blinders s04e06
Ever since the war, Andromeda had come to appreciate the quietness of her quaint home in the middle of nowhere. So it wasn't that much of a surprise that she needed a little breather during her own birthday party. Luckily her loved ones knew her well enough and didn't take it as an affront.
Andromeda sat beneath her favourite tree and stared at the glass of bourbon in her hand. Occasionally she brought it to her lips to take a small sip of the amber liquid. Mostly, though, she needed it to fiddle because her head was buzzing with thoughts.
She could scarcely believe she was sixty. Sixty ... she let the number melt on her tongue. How the time had passed so quickly after her daughter's death, she would never understand, because in the days after losing her, every minute had felt like a lifetime.
As she raised her glass, she heard a branch break and caught sight of a mane of fair hair that appeared completely white in the cool light of the moon. She wished she had brought her glasses to be sure that it was really Narcissa Malfoy she was looking at.
She could already hear Teddy's reprimanding voice in her head because she was once again too vain to wear them. Although she had already let go of a lot of pride through her colourful family, this underlying vanity was a trait she was unlikely to shed in her life.
She squinted her eyes at the intruder, but it didn't quite improve her sight.
-§-§-§-§-§-
Narcissa crossed the garden with an uneasy feeling that only intensified when the celebrating guests fell silent as soon as they spotted her. She felt the probing stares of Andromeda's guests on her skin, but she didn't let it distract her. Disgusted looks were something she had experienced often since the war, and she had learned to live with them. Some nights she wished it were different, but she did not indulge in that regret. She had chosen her path, and now she could no longer undo it. All she could do now was move forward.
She skimmed their surprised faces, recognised some, but could not make out her sister.
It was Andromeda's lanky, blue-haired grandson who helped her by pointing his finger at a person hiding in the shadows under a large, twisted oak tree. Although her face was obscured by her hair, it was clearly Andromeda sitting there on the cold earth with her head bowed. Narcissa had to stifle a chuckle. Her older sister had never had much sense of etiquette. Their mother would be rolling in her grave, and that gave her a lovely feeling of gratification.
For a long moment, she looked at Andromeda and tried to relax and get enough air. The thought of talking to her made her heart thud so fast she feared it would jump out of her chest. Added to this was the fear that her sister would want nothing to do with her. If Andromeda pushed her back, she would not judge her for it, but the sheer thought still hurt, and she hadn't even tried to talk to her yet. She shook her head as she tried to suppress the panic. She twisted the small piece of parchment with the inviting lines on it in her fingers. If Andromeda hated her, then she wouldn't have been invited, would she?
After a few deep breaths, Narcissa walked towards the witch with tentative steps. Halfway there, she stepped on a dry branch that snapped with a crack.
The sound broke the comfortable silence and jolted Andromeda out of her reverie, who abruptly raised her head and almost spilled her drink. Her sister's penetrating stare caused Narcissa to freeze momentarily.
While keeping her eyes trained on Andromeda, Narcissa approached her slowly. The closer she got, the heavier her heart became. She liked being in control, and this encounter was so far out of her comfort zone she didn't know what to feel or what to say. They hadn't been this close in over forty years, and it was quickly becoming a tense situation made all the more so by Andromeda's uncertain expression. 'Meda,' she whispered as she stood directly above her.
Andromeda raised an eyebrow and, after a moment's pause, rose effortlessly. She wiped dry leaves and dirt from her muggle jeans before eyeing her sister with a curious look. 'Cissy?'
Narcissa's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't heard the nickname in a long time. The last time she heard it, it had slipped past Bella's lips, and she didn't want to think of Bella, not when her other sister was right there in front of her. The sister they had pushed aside carelessly and had to pay too high a price for the intolerance of their family. She closed her eyes to quell the nausea, but that didn't help her from teetering slightly.
Andromeda shot her a worried glance, grabbed her wrist and held it tightly. 'Come, sit.'
As if she had heard Narcissa's protest, she took off her oversized cardigan and laid it on the floor before helping Narcissa sit on it. Andromeda sat down next to her on the grass.
Silence enveloped the two sisters as they simply looked at each other. Draco had helped her prepare, but now, sitting next to Andromeda, her feelings had taken her completely by surprise. There were forty years of life between them and such a massive pile of emotions that Narcissa hadn't the faintest idea how to begin ploughing through them.
Fortunately, Andromeda was able to pull herself out of her stupor. She took her hand while glancing over the white strands in Narcissa's hair. A small smile flitted across her face. 'We've grown old, huh?'
Narcissa raised her hand and let her fingers slide gently over the crow's feet next to Andromeda's eyes and over the dimple in her left cheek, which after all these years was much more pronounced than the day she had left. 'I'm afraid you're right,' she whispered, placing her hand on Andromeda's, who still clasped her arm. 'And so much has happened.'
Andromeda squeezed her hand without looking at her. 'What are you doing here, Cissy?'
Narcissa held out the parchment to her. 'I received an invitation, but I don't know from whom.'
Andromeda took it with a slight tremor in her hands and let her eyes wander over the familiar handwriting. Teddy. Teddy, whom she had only recently told that she would like to speak to Narcissa. Teddy, who had so much more courage than she did. 'And they say Gryffindors are the brave ones,' she said with a warm smile. 'My grandson is a sweetheart with every fibre of his being.'
Narcissa met her sister's gaze and saw the love and the anguish in them. Although she was afraid of the truth, she had to ask the question. 'How can you sit next to me like that? Aren't you angry?' Whether she would have endured her sister's closeness if the roles had been reversed, she did not know.
Andromeda smiled wearily but shook her head. 'If I were still vexed, I would have shattered long ago. But don't think I'm not still hurt. Hurt, we grew up in such a cruel world and had to send our children to war. That should never have happened!' She grimaced and wiped the single tear from her face with a swift movement before looking at Narcissa.
After she had gathered her courage, Narcissa leaned her head against Andromeda's shoulder. Although she had hoped her sister would accept the closeness, Narcissa was surprised when Andromeda closed her fingers around her wrist. It took her a while to find her voice. 'Every day I'm glad Draco made it out alive.' She had to pause. The mere thought of losing him pushed the air out of her lungs. After a shuddering intake of air, she managed to continue. 'And every day, I think about how much you must miss her. I'm sorry for what we did to you.' Tears pooled in her cerulean eyes, but she refused to let them fall, for it was not her place to cry.
Andromeda looked up at the sky and counted a few stars while she weighed her words and sorted through a myriad of emotions. She swallowed hard before she spoke. 'My daughter was as proud as I am, Cissy. She chose her path, and I had no say in it. We live somewhere between life and death. Waiting to move on. And in the end we accept it. We shake hands with the devils and we walk past them.'
The younger witch listened to her words, almost in disbelief. Where Andromeda got such strength from was puzzling, but at the same time, she knew that she too had become so much stronger in the last four decades. She shook her head and put her hand on Andromeda's knee. 'You make it sound as if moving on is the easiest thing in the world.'
Andromeda laughed bitterly. 'Oh, don't let my eloquence fool you. I've never had to live through anything more trying, but I've had 15 years to settle into my new life. If grief has taught me one thing, it is to only fight the demons that need to be fought. And you, sister, are not one of them.'
Overcome by her feelings, Narcissa took a deep breath and pulled her sister into a tight embrace. She buried her nose in the all too familiar brown hair and immediately felt transported back to a time when Andromeda had been a constant in her life. 'I want you back in my life, sister!'
Andromeda wrapped her arms around her and kissed her temple as she had done when they were little, and the bitterness of life had not yet weighed on their shoulders. 'What are we going to do now?'
Narcissa held her by the shoulder while she wiped her eyes. There was a lightness in her heart that she had not felt for a long time. And there was love too. That fierce love for Andromeda had returned within minutes.
She gave her guarded sister a prompting look. 'This is a party, isn't it? Let's drink and dance, and tomorrow we'll talk!'
Andromeda gave her a weak, crooked grin and hugged her knees. 'I don't dance anymore,' she whispered. After the events that had unfolded at the Summer Ball in Black Manor, just before she had been erased from the tapestry and the family with a bang and a curse, she had never felt like dancing again. She closed her eyes and banished the memory back to the furthest corner of her being.
Narcissa saw the sadness creep onto her face, and it tugged at her heart. Of the three of them, Andromeda had been the one who loved to dance the most.
After a moment of silent thought, she nudged Andromeda's arm, then put her hand behind her ear, inched closer to her and smiled. 'Excuse me, Miss, I think my old age is affecting my hearing! Did you just say you don't dance anymore?'
Andromeda laughed out loud and held her hand in front of her mouth. 'Oh, how I have missed you, little sister!' After she had gathered herself somewhat she added: 'That, unfortunately, doesn't change the fact that I can only barely remember the steps!'
Narcissa stroked her cheek. It was good to see her laugh, and the sound of it eased the tightness in her chest. She gave her a beaming smile before rising from the cold ground with a groan and holding out her hand to her. 'Then let me lead!'
Andromeda smiled and took her hand.
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